Not Like The Movies
by LeanaVine
Summary: AU. Sam goes to college part time while also working in a movie rental store. One day, he's involved in a car crash, but comes out okay. Maybe the crash was luck in disguise, because it led him to something that would eventually be so wonderful. (Warning of depression and possible sex. Human!Optimus, Human!Bee. Optimus/Sam. Slight Bee/Sam.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Here's my first Transformers fic ever! Now, don't get mad, but I haven't actually really seen any of the movies… I watched part of the first one a long time ago, and I think I've seen parts of the second one. It always interested me, but I kept getting interrupted. Anyway, I'm going to try and watch them as soon as I can. My boyfriend told me I pretty much hit the nail on the head with Sam and Bee's personalities, so let's hope you all agree.

Oh, and appearances. Bee in a way looks like Alex Pettyfer, but also not. He has longer, lighter hair, and wears it down. Plus he's taller. But he does have a little stubble, like Alex does in quite a few pictures. Other than that, there are a lot of similarities between them. I found a picture of exactly what I wanted Bee to look like, but he's not a celebrity so I can't really put a name to him. Same with Optimus.

As always, my views are not shared or expressed by any of the characters in this story or any of my other stories.

Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy.

* * *

The door swung open slowly, sounding off with a light _ding_ as a customer entered. From behind the counter, Sam Witwicky raised a hand to wave a hello, not taking his eyes off the laptop screen in front of him. He sat on a rather uncomfortable stool, one elbow propped up on the counter, holding up his tired head as he tried to finish a test. Taking classes online was a lot easier than going up to the college campus about 45 minutes away from where he lived, but Sam found that whether he was going to college online or at an institution, it was boring either way.

Sam's entire life had gone a bit downhill since the month before he started college. He did use to have a girlfriend, the apartment they shared, a lot of friends, but it all went down the pipes when he and Mikaela broke up. It turned out that he wasn't exactly everything that she'd ever wanted. Sam could in no way say the same. I mean, if you'd seen Mikaela, you'd know. She was the most gorgeous woman he'd ever set sights on, and Sam had never planned on being without her.

After they ended things, Sam made some quick changes at his college so that he could take majority of his classes online. He hoped this would prevent him from running into Mikaela – or at least help make their bump-into's few and far between. Now Sam only had to go to classes once a week, which was great. Well, sort of. Sam had missed seeing his friends, and with time, he lost contact with a few of them. That didn't really make things any easier.

One of his friends stayed, though. Benjamin Miles – who Sam preferred to call Bee – convinced him that he needed to go to counseling of some kind. This was after Sam started college, and he was still down in the dumps about losing Mikaela four months prior. All of Sam's other friends were leaving, and so, in an attempt to keep Bee by his side, Sam agreed to go see a therapist.

After just a few sessions, Sam's therapist deducted that he was beginning to fall into depression, and that he should start taking medications to keep his depression at a moderate rate. Sam had to admit that he felt a bit pathetic, taking happy pills so he wouldn't want to blow his brains out. At least Bee was there all the while, always encouraging and never mocking about his situation. Well, at least not after he found out how serious it was.

Sam's therapist had suggested that Sam take up some kind of hobby, find his true passion. This was a bit hard to think about, considering just how worthless Sam was feeling. He was going to school for a degree in Criminal Justice, which obviously wasn't to his liking. Sam just wanted to make his father proud. Somehow, Bee was able to convince Sam to talk to his father and tell him that he didn't want to be a lawyer someday.

You should've seen Sam's father's reaction when Sam admitted he didn't want to study law. His father couldn't have been more supportive. "I just want you to chase your dreams, Sammy," he'd said. If it hadn't of been for Bee, Sam might've never known how easy it was to talk to his parents about what he really wanted.

Now, there was just the point of figuring what he _did _really want to do with his life. Sam thought a long time about it, took some time off from school. He just sat around his apartment all day, watching movies upon movies. If it hadn't have been for Netflix, Sam might not have survived.

Bee could hardly stand it, Sam texting him every night: "HEY come over let's have a _Jaws_ marathon!" or "Didn't you say you haven't seen _X-Men_ yet?" or maybe "I think I wanna get into _Lord of the Rings_." Bee tried not to complain, but once in a while he just wanted to go out and eat or play video games of some kind. Or maybe, just maybe, they could just lay around and listen to music all night long.

Music was Bee's passion; that had never been in question. Bee currently held a job fixing and installing radios in cars. It was the dream. Sam was envious that Bee could be so happy without ever going to college for a degree or worrying what his parents thought of him. He was just so free, and Sam wished he could know what that felt like, sooner rather than later.

It was during a shameless night of musicals that Sam found what he'd been looking for. This was perfect timing, because Bee wasn't around to make fun of his dream as soon as he discovered it. Sam hadn't wanted Bee to know that he was screening _Phantom of the Opera_, because the older man would most likely have a laughing fit if he found out.

While _CATS _was rolling, and Skimbleshanks was leading everyone with elation, Sam had the thought, _'Man, it must be fulfilling to watch everything you've worked so hard for just unfold right in front of you.' _That was the idea that sprung the trap and set everything in motion.

"A director… That's what I could be."

Sam obviously had a love for movies that was more than unhealthy. I mean, damn, he'd cried during _Avatar _just because he couldn't believe how awesome all of James Cameron's movies were. This was it; this was what he'd been looking for without really looking.

And so, Sam started back at the university, and switched his major over to Directing with minors in Script Supervision and Casting. Things were starting to look up from there. He really felt like he fit in with most of the people in his classes. Now he had to come on campus a little more often, but he still got to take majority of his classes online. Bee thought Sam should be a bit more social, but Sam didn't agree. Not this time.

After going back to the university with a different outlook on things, Sam got a new job at a movie rental store, which he enjoyed most of the time. He could just sit behind the counter and take his classes until someone needed help, and it was great. And the discount wasn't too bad, either. Sam's hope was that soon he'd be able to afford to get some real furniture in his apartment. He and Bee both were getting tired of sitting around in beanbag chairs, and Sam didn't really like sleeping on his old twin bed from his parents' house. But hey, anything was better than moving back home.

Sam only visited his therapist a few more times, just to update her on the progress he'd made. She was happy for him, but then wanted to focus on how he was doing without Mikaela. He had to admit that he hadn't been thinking about her as much anymore. Sam hadn't even seen her in about six months.

His therapist dropped a bit of a bombshell, saying she thought he might have a sexuality crisis, or something to that effect. She said that his unwillingness to start a new relationship was a defense mechanism for not getting over Mikaela yet. Sam was a bit creeped out when she asked if he knew what his sexuality was. He was even more surprised at himself when he said, "Well I've always liked girls. I've never really thought about liking guys, but I don't know."

And of course she had to recommend that Sam be willing with his sexuality, and that he should test the waters of how he would feel being with different people. In other words, she thought he might be bisexual and he should try being with boys and girls. Wonderful, as if Sam hadn't been depressed enough the past six months. To Sam, the world didn't need any more gay directors. As he'd said to Bee, "Just look at what Joel Schumacher did to Batman and Robin!"

And so, Sam was a bit depressed again. Some wonderful therapist that lady was, building him up then knocking him down, just like Mikaela. Were all women just out to get him?

* * *

Sam was sitting behind the counter in the movie rental store called _Epic Moments_, trying to focus on his College Algebra test. He wasn't terrible at math, but he didn't really enjoy it either. The bell at the door tolled as it was opened, and Sam waved, not really paying attention. Suddenly, his laptop was slammed closed by a forceful hand, and Bee was sliding across the counter on his butt, swinging his legs over to the other side.

Sam jumped back in surprise, then groaned. "Bee, what the hell are you doing? I was taking a test."

Bee turned back to look at Sam's laptop, then he shrugged before smiling at his younger friend. "That's for ignoring me when I came in."

Pushing past Bee, Sam opened his laptop, thankful to see he hadn't been closed out of the webpage. "I didn't ignore you. I waved at you." He returned to the test as if Bee wasn't there. At first he wondered if it was a good idea to turn his back to Bee, but then he decided that it would be okay.

With an annoyed groan, Bee leaned back against the wall behind him, almost knocking over a stack of movies that Sam had neglected to put up. "Yeah, but it was a half assed wave. If you're going to do anything, go the whole way with it." He turned, pulling himself up to sit on the counter next to Sam's laptop. "Anyway, you need a break. How about lunch? I'm starving."

Sam sighed. "After this test, Bee." He glanced up at his friend, who was staring at him. After giving him a onceover, he asked, "Why so much black today?"

Bee wore a black t-shirt and black, slightly faded jeans, with big headphones slung around his neck like usual. He shrugged, pushing his long, blond hair out of his eyes. "Guess it's just a black kind of day."

Sam gave an expression somewhat like "give me a break" and looked back to his screen. "That's depressing," he mumbled, his voice ever monotone. He was about ten questions from the end of his test, and it was like seeing the light at the end of a long tunnel. Sam's focus intensified, now totally blocking out his blonde friend.

When he realized that he was being ignored again, Bee pulled his headphones over his ears, twisting to jump off the counter to the opposite side of Sam. From what he could tell, Sam would be a while, so Bee browsed around the isles, laughing at the covers of some movies. For a second he forgot to play any music on his iPod Shuffle, and mentally kicked himself. Bee spent about three minutes just deciding on a good song to listen to, and finally landed on "The Only Hope For Me Is You" by My Chemical Romance.

He turned to peek at Sam over the shelves of movies. Bee half smiled at the frustrated look on his face. He sighed a little through his nose, thinking about the rollercoaster Sam had been on in the past few months. Without realizing it, Bee was very quietly singing along with the song, just staring at Sam. Sam had really started to depend on Bee the past few months, and Bee loved feeling useful. He just wanted to be there for Sam, being able to provide comfort and a sense of stability. It was a weird thing to think about, because in a way, it made it sound like Bee had developed a small crush on Sam. He guessed that he had, and he smiled to himself, lowering down from where he'd been on his tip-toes, and looked at the black carpet. Bee wanted to believe that these feelings he'd begun to form for his best friend were nothing, but as time stretched on, it was harder and harder to push away thoughts of a day when they'd be watching movies and Bee would slowly reach for Sam's hand, and Sam would be just fine with it.

The song ended, and Bee frowned, because this meant he'd have to start his search again. At least it took his mind off of Sam momentarily. He was lucky, though, because just a few songs later, "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC came on, and he started playing air guitar right there. He didn't care too much what anyone thought about him, and it was this that he loved so much about music – the freeness it evoked.

When the song was almost over, Bee felt someone touch his shoulder, and he jumped, turning around quickly. Sam faced him, and it was obvious he was straining not to grin. Bee laughed once, but without a smile of any kind. "Alright, let's go already." Sam nodded, holding out an arm as if to say "lead the way." Bee turned on his heel and headed for the door, holding it open for Sam.

"What a gentleman."

Bee was about to reply to what he though was one of Sam's snarky comments, when he realized that an older woman had given him the compliment, not Sam. It was hard for Sam to fight back laughter as Bee just cheesed and nodded, acting as if he'd intended to open the door for her and not his man-crush. She came in and they went out and Bee just glared as Sam giggled, doubling over like no one was looking.

Because he had been embarrassed, Bee called, "Shotgun," as they approached the parking lot, thinking Sam owed it to him to be driven around. Plus, Sam just had a super sweet ride – a yellow Camaro with black stripes down the hood. Bee took every chance he could to ride around with Sam. As soon as he started the car, Bee was hooking up his iPod to the stereo. Sam never got to pick the music, no matter whose car they used, but he was okay with that. Bee almost always made good selections.

When Bee looked to Sam with a devilish smile, Sam just cocked a brow. He was about to ask what that look was for, but then Bee pressed the button to start the music, and a funky beat poured through the stereos. Sam paused to think at a stoplight, then smiled realizing this was the king of pop. Of course, Bee began to dance in his seat, and Sam sunk down slightly. Bee was trying to throw a few thrusts into his dancing to be authentic, but it just looked plain weird with his seatbelt restricting his movements. Then he started singing along with the chorus, and Sam couldn't help but to smile.

_"People always told me 'be careful what you do, don't go 'round breaking young girls' hearts,' heeeee."_ Sam laughed hard, slamming a hand onto the rim of the steering wheel, because Bee was so painfully out of key. Even so, Bee continued, a huge smirk cracking his face. _"And mother always told me 'be careful who you love.'" _At this point, he punched Sam's arm, not too hard, like a command to sing along. _"Be careful whatcha do, because a lie becomes the truth, hey!"_

And now, both men were singing, trying not to laugh all the while, as they drove aimlessly down the road. _"Billie Jean is not my lover. She's just a girl who claims that I am the one. But the kid is not my son!"_ The whole time, they made ridiculous faces at one another, and Sam swerved a few times, doing a little dancing himself. They continued this way until the song was over, and they were still laughing and smiling when they pulled up to some crummy, fast-food restaurant.

"Ugh, way to end the day on a high note, Sammy," Bee groaned, a pout pulling at his lips. Something was so adorable about that, though Sam would never admit it willingly.

Sam laughed, cocking a brow at his friend. "_End _the day? Bee it's only like two in the afternoon." He edged forward in the drive-thru line, not bothering to look at the board with their options. They'd been here enough to have regulars by now.

Bee yawned, sinking into his seat. "Yeah, tell me about it. I'm exhausted." Somehow, with the little space he had, he curled up into a ball, facing away from Sam. It was sad and cute at the same time, like the commercials with the abused animals.

Sam chuckled, turning to the little speaker, almost forgetting to roll down his window. "Uh, yeah, we'll take two burgers with everything on them. And give us some fries and two large cokes." Voices that were clouded with static came through the speaker that Sam couldn't understand, so he just said, "Okay," and pulled forward. He turned down the radio, which was now playing "Jagged Little Pill" by Alanis Morissette.

"Noooo." Bee very slowly turned over in his seat, still all curled up like a lazy cat. "Don't turn down my music, man. You're killing me." He clawed towards the radio a bit, then gave up when Sam swatted his hand away.

Sam pulled up and received their food from the chubby man at the window. Afterwards, he pulled into a parking spot and turned the engine off. "Okay, out." He jumped out, taking his drink and the bag of food with him.

Bee followed with a reluctant sigh, carrying his own drink. They sat on the hood of the car, and Sam pulled out his food, passing the bag to Bee. "Why don't you trust me to eat in your car? I'm not a sloppy eater," Bee complained, beginning to stuff his mouth with fries, two at a time.

Sam shook his head, a large chunk of burger in his mouth. "No, it's nothing personal." He pointed at himself with his burger, losing some lettuce. "I don't trust _myself_."

The blonde laughed and shook his head. "I can't believe you're giving me the 'it's not you, it's me' treatment." He pointed somewhere in the distance. "I don't have to take this. I will take my burger and go, right now."

With an affectionate punch to the arm, Sam said, "No, stay a while. I enjoy your company. It's nice talking to you while you don't have headphones in."

Bee shrugged. "I don't like living a second without music. It's my whole life. If I could choose to, I'd live in a musical, so that every time you wanted to talk to me, you'd have to sing." He squared up with Sam, making a very serious expression. _"Samuel Witwicky, who enjoys my company, you should know by now," _he waved his burger in Sam's face, _"that I despise mustard!"_

Sam's eyes were wide. Right here in front of him, in the middle of an almost empty parking lot, Bee was singing in an opera voice to him about the fact he'd forgotten yet again that Bee hated mustard. He cleared his throat. _"Sorry…"_

Bee just paused, then he burst out into laughter, trying to hide his face in his arm. It made Sam smile, seeing his friend so stupid with happiness. He really loved these moments, when they were just idiots, oblivious to the rest of the world.

* * *

**A/N: **Soooo, what'd you think? Was it any good? This chapter was really just meant as an intro, telling you how I'm going to be writing Sam and Bee and what all has led them up to this point. I wasn't really sure how to write this chapter at first, so I hope it came out well. But I do have ideas about what I want to happen next chapter, so don't worry, there will be updates. Bye my lovelies.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Woo! Chapter Two! I've decided to start doing this thing that Rainbow Fruit Loop. I didn't ask permission, but I'm pretty sure he/she (I think Loop is a she, but I'd hate to say that and Loop be a dude) wouldn't mind.

I'm going to have a wall of fame before every chapter of all my stories. So if you reviewed the chapter of my first story, you'll be on the wall of fame for this chapter. And if you review this chapter, you'll be on the wall of fame for the third chapter, and so on.

So far, we have a rather short Wall of Fame: _BlasterDarkRevenger; StarGazingAtMidnight._

Now you guys'll know to review this chapter so you can be on the next wall of fame!

Anway, please read, review and enjoy!

* * *

It was a warm, Saturday afternoon. Sam had the day off, so he was spending it the best way he knew how – playing video games with Bee. Currently, they were taking turns with _Skyrim_, not taking the game seriously at all, when Sam's phone started to go off. He stood, leaving Bee to play as he took his call to the kitchen. "Hello?"

Three minutes later, Sam was grumbling, picking up his school bag and making sure he had all his books. Bee turned to him, not bothering to pause the game. "What's up?" he asked. He knew Sam wasn't ever supposed to have classes on the weekend.

Sam was shaking his head with frustration as he zipped up his bag. "There's something wrong with one of my tests, so I have to go see what's going on. I think it screwed up my test when you closed my laptop the other day."

Bee thought for a second, then he remembered, frowning with guilt. "Oh…I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to screw up your test." From what he could remember, Sam was talking about when Bee slammed his laptop closed last Tuesday before he kidnapped him for burgers and Michael Jackson.

With another shake of his head, Sam was walking towards the door, bag slung over his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. This isn't the first time this happened. I'll be back soon. Be thinking about what you want for lunch."

And with that, Sam was gone, slamming the door in anger. Bee jumped, even though he knew the anger wasn't directed at him. He sighed, then smiled, thinking about how wife-y Sam sounded as he left. It was adorable, enough to make Bee slam a couch cushion into his face with a long, "Ugghhhh…"

* * *

Sam didn't waste any time getting to the college. Usually, the drive took about 45 minutes, but he took every shortcut he knew of, cutting his time down to about 28 minutes. He parked on the curb on the main road, not even thinking about if that would be okay or not. Sam just didn't want to waste time looking for a parking spot. In his haste, he'd almost forgotten his backpack, cursing silently as he lugged it into the building.

It wound up that Sam would have to take the test again, because there were some issues processing it. Sam insisted on taking it right then, just to get it out of the way, but his teacher denied him, saying he'd get to take it again on Tuesday. It took all the stronger parts of Sam not to cuss at his professor, and instead he just gave a nod, walking out, wondering why the middle-aged man couldn't have just told him all that over the phone.

Sam got back in his beloved Camaro, happy to see that it hadn't been towed in the 30 minutes he was gone. He took off his bag, shoving it into the backseat, and pulled out his phone, checking for messages from Bee. There was one, with just the word **pizza**, and it made Sam laugh. With that, he started the car and put his phone down, turning up the radio. He nearly gasped when "Smoke on the Water" by AC/DC was playing. Sam wished so badly that Bee was there to enjoy one of their favorite songs together.

As Sam checked his rearview mirror to make sure no one was coming from behind, he managed out a choked scream just before a black SUV slammed into him. The front right edge of the SUV crushed the driver's side front door of Sam's Camaro with a disgustingly loud crumple of metal on metal. Sam's tires skid slightly as his car was pushed as far against the curb as it'd go. Luckily, the SUV didn't push any harder, and it stopped.

Sam, who'd been slung around a little during the impact, opened his eyes and turned took look out his now-broken window. Glass dusted his lap, and he had a few cuts on his left arm. When he attempted to raise his arm for further inspection, he hissed in pain, deciding it was better to leave it alone. Sam had to admit that he was worried when he had no feeling at all in his left arm, and he assumed that it was probably broken. Drivers from a few cars nearby rushed over, one of them pulling out a phone to call 911. They relieved the driver of the SUV, pulling him out and laying him on the ground. Sam saw that he was an old man, and that he was unconscious now, blood gushing from his nose. He hoped that the man was okay.

And then Sam was taken a bit aback by how calm he was during all of this. Some old guy had destroyed the left side of his beloved Camaro, and probably broken his arm. Still, Sam couldn't get mad about what was happening, and he assumed that he was just in shock.

Someone had to call the fire department in order to get Sam out of his car. It should've been easy – someone could open the passenger side door, and pull Sam out. But of course, everything had to be more complicated. The firefighters were worried about pulling Sam out, since part of the door was kinda wrapped around his arm, so they decided completely removing the tattered door should be done first. It took a long time to get the door off, and Sam cringed the whole time. Finally, Sam was out, and the few people standing around clapped as if it was some big deal to see a grown man being carried away to a gurney. Sam insisted that all this extra care was unneeded, that the only thing bothering him was his left arm, but the EMTs just told Sam it was a precaution. As if Sam didn't know everything that was going on with his body.

The ride to the hospital wasn't very fun. None of it was. By the time he got to see Bee, who he had requested that the hospital call, he had a blue cast on and was sitting on the edge of a hospital bed, just waiting to be released. Bee half smiled, and walked up to Sam, surprising him with a tight, yet hesitant hug. Bee pulled back quickly, apologizing in case he'd hurt Sam. Sam just smiled, shaking his head.

As Bee filled out the papers so that he could take Sam with him, he said, "Don't worry about your car, by the way. I had it towed to a shop one of my good buddies owns. And I found out the information from that guy that hit you. They released him a little while ago. He said he'd pay for any damages." He paused, laughing and looking at Sam. "He said he fell asleep behind the wheel. Can you believe that?"

Sam cocked his head to the side. "Who's your good friend?" Bee never talked about any other friends around Sam, maybe to keep him from getting jealous or feeling inferior. Such a boyfriend thing to do, Sam thought.

Bee returned to filling out the paperwork. "He owns this body shop downtown. I've worked with him a few times. Guy doesn't know how to fix radios, so he calls me. Anyway, I've had him over a few nights to watch the game on TV, so he's not really a _friend _friend." He half smiled a little. "Don't get all worked up, Sammy. You know you come first in my book."

Sam laughed a little, leaning back in his chair. "I better." Then his smile faded, wondering how much Bee could've meant by that statement. He tried to push those thoughts away, just happy that he had a friend like Bee to come through for him over and over.

Bee's car wasn't quite as nice as Sam's. It was a '90 Mazda Roadster 1.6, electric blue, just like Bee's eyes. The car was still in pretty nice shape, and now Sam wondered if that was thanks to this mechanic friend of Bee's. He glanced at himself in the rearview mirror. He had a cut on his left cheekbone, and a few bruises on his face, but it wasn't anything too bad. Really, Sam just looked like he'd been in a bad fight and lost. He noticed that Bee kept glancing over at him with a worried look on his face, and something about that made Sam feel better.

About 20 minutes later, Bee pulled into the parking lot by a little auto body shop. The building was blue aluminum, and loud machinery noises could be heard from inside, even before Bee and Sam got out of the car. Sam was fully capable of getting out on his own, but Bee rushed to his side of the car, opening Sam's door for him. Sam just gave him a look and sighed, getting out without making comments.

They approached the building, and Bee cupped his hands around his mouth, calling out a name that Sam didn't understand or hardly hear over the buzzing of blow torches and power drills. Sam glanced around, and noticed one man sliding out from under a white Chevy. His light blue jeans fit him quite nicely, giving way to toned calves, oil splotches on his thighs. He wore a white t-shirt, tucked in, which was also dirty and a bit sweaty, making it cling to him. His tan, muscled arms emerged as his rough-looking hands gripped the bumper to ease him out. Finally, the man's face showed, and he smiled. "Hey Bee."

Sam looked at Bee with the questioning look as the man stood and sauntered towards them. Bee leaned Sam's way a bit, and he murmured, "He always called me Benjamin, and I hated it, so I gave him permission to use your pet name for me. Hope that was okay."

The younger man rolled his eyes, and was about to say that it in no way bothered him, but he found that it was a little annoying. He had always enjoyed knowing he was the only person to call him Bee. At least Sam could know he was the first.

This man approached, wiping his forehead with a dirty, red rag. His long black hair gleamed with sweat, but still didn't look filthy. He had stubble, like Bee did, and his eyes were surprisingly blue, much like Bee's. Bee's were a deeper blue, like water miles and miles out in the ocean, while this stranger's eyes were a lighter blue, like the sky, or like satellite pictures of the water at coral reefs.

Bee held out his hand to shake, and this man didn't hesitate to slap his hand up in a firm shake, and he laughed heartily. Bee's smile grew slightly in response, then they released hands. With a nod of his head towards his shorter friend, Bee said, "This is Sam Witwicky. Sam, this is Optimus Prime."

Without asking, Optimus grabbed Sam's hand in his callused death grip, smiling with beautiful, white teeth that made Sam feel self-conscious about his own. "Hey, Sam. Nice to meet you."

Sam gave a dubious look to the mechanic. "_Optimus Prime_? That's really your name? Or is that nickname of some kind?" Though he eased his grip on the dark-haired man's hand rather quickly, he found he wasn't let go of just yet.

Optimus cocked a brow, smirking a little. "No, that's my name. Is there something wrong with it?" Neither of them saw how amused Bee was, watching all of this unfold. Optimus let go of Sam's hand, who seemed gracious for the action.

Sam shrugged, putting his uninjured hand in his pocket. "Well, it's just, Optimus Prime? That's kind of a weird name, don't you think?" He was a little bit surprised at how forward he was being, but he couldn't help himself. It really was a strange name.

Optimus laughed a little, running a hand through his hair. "Whoever decided that Sam Witwicky was such a normal name?"

Sam couldn't really dispute that. He did have a pretty quirky last name. He just nodded, then looked to Bee, wondering how much longer they would have to be there. This was getting more and more awkward by the second. He glared when Bee was obviously smiling, trying to hide it in his right hand. Bee quickly cleared his throat, getting rid of the smile. "Well, it's nice you guys finally met." He turned to Optimus. "So, where's Sam's car?"

Bee and Sam were led to one of the back corners of the shop, and Sam cringed when he saw his poor car, dented up and missing the driver's door. Bee whistled, shaking his head. "Man, Sammy, it didn't even look this bad on the side of the road."

"It's the lighting," Prime said with a little smile. Sam's brows furrowed. Was he _enjoying _this? Why, because Sam made fun of his name?

"How much is it going to cost to fix it?" Sam asked. He tried to cross his arms, then remembered his cast, and just let his arms fall to his sides awkwardly. He saw Optimus' smile grow, and he tried to hate it. No matter how much this guy annoyed him, Sam had to admit that he was pretty good looking, though he'd never tell anyone.

Optimus sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, let's just say I hope you have good insurance. Or that the other guy is at least willing to give you some kind of compensation." He laughed a little bit. "I mean, you're missing a door here, kid."

Sam glowered at the taller man. "Don't call me kid." He was a bit surprised to hear himself talking like that. He never usually stood up for himself, not even to Bee. Bee even looked a little taken aback, but he also looked satisfied.

To ease the tension, Bee clapped a hand on Sam's right shoulder. "Don't be so on edge, Sammy. If anyone can fix your car, it's this big guy." He looked up at Optimus, who was just a bit taller than him. Both of them towered over Sam.

Optimus saluted with two fingers. "Leave it to me. I'll get it done personally, don't worry. It's really beat to hell, but I never come up short; it'd give me a bad rap." He winked at Sam, flustering him a bit. Oh hell, with that smile, and the gruffness of his voice, he was almost too much to take, and Sam hated that he was thinking that way.

This didn't go unnoticed by Bee, whose smile quickly faded, because he knew the frustrated look on Sam's face. "Well," he started, clapping his hands together, "give him your information, Sam, so we can go. I'm starving. Been waiting on that pizza for hours."

Sam laughed and nodded. "Okay Bee." He looked to Optimus. "Do you have paper? And a pen, maybe?" He was grateful that he wasn't left-handed, or he'd be out of luck.

The dark-haired man nodded with a little smile, and said, "Yeah, give me a sec." Then he turned, walking towards what looked like a little office in the corner. The place seemed to get noticeably louder after Optimus left, and Sam covered one of his ears.

When Optimus returned, he handed Sam a pen and a pad of paper with the shop's logo printed in the top right corner. Sam thanked him quietly, his fingers brushing against Optimus' as he took the pen. He cleared his throat, quickly scribbling down his name and number, handing back the pad and pen. Optimus smiled a crooked smile, saying, "Thank you, Sam Witwicky." He looked to Bee, his smile dying down a bit. "Are you still coming over tomorrow? Patriots play the Colts."

Bee slapped himself in the temple in a way that didn't look healthy. "Hell, I forgot about that." He looked down at Sam. "Are you going to be okay on your own tomorrow?"

Sam laughed a little. "Bee, it's a broken arm. I'll be fine. You don't have to treat me like a pregnant lady." He laughed a little more, then met Optimus' eyes, and looked down, his laughter ceasing.

"Well, you know, you could come over tomorrow, too." Sam looked up to see Optimus rolling his shoulder as if it was sore. "I wouldn't mind it. I'll just have to order more wings." He smiled again, then looked at Bee. "Tomorrow at three. Don't be late."

Optimus was nice enough to walk them out, and Bee turned to wave at him as they approached his car. Once inside, Bee turned to Sam, cocking a brow. Sam's eyes darted around in a confused fashion. "What?"

Bee sighed. "Could you have been any quirkier in there?"

Sam sputtered out a nervous laughter. "What are you talking about?" They were both quiet for a moment, then Sam swallowed. "Did I embarrass you?"

His blonde friend laughed, shaking his head. "No. I can't believe he invited you to come along tomorrow, though." He started the car.

"Why is that so surprising?" Sam asked, trying to turn towards Bee in his seat, but finding it difficult with the cast.

Bee was about to pull out, then he realized Sam didn't have his seatbelt on, and remembered that Sam was having difficulty with it without the use of his left arm. He leaned across Sam to grab his seatbelt, stretching it across his chest as he spoke in a mocking voice. "Oh, Optimus Prime, what a weird name." He clicked Sam's seatbelt in. "You're lucky he didn't knock your head off. If you hadn't been with me, he might've done worse."

Sam blushed a little, but tried to hide it as Bee sat up in his seat. "I wasn't really thinking, I guess." They were silent as Bee pulled out into traffic, then Sam stated, "I thought I was the only one that called you Bee."

Bee sighed, pausing behind a gray van at a stoplight. "I told you, he used to call me Benjamin, and I hated it. He's so damn proper, especially for a mechanic. He wouldn't call me Ben, so I made him call me Bee instead."

"Why wouldn't he call you Ben?" Sam asked curiously.

Bee shrugged, continuing down the road. "Guess he just doesn't like the name Ben. I've never really cared for it either, but it's better than Benjamin."

Sam just stared out his window after that. He didn't talk again until they were pulling up to the drive-thru lane at the pizza place. "Do you really think I pissed him off about his name?"

Bee laughed a little. "It's not really that, I think. It's just Optimus gets tired of taking so much shit for his name. If you think about it though, his name is pretty kickass. _Optimus Prime_."

"Sounds like the name of a porn star…" Sam mumbled.

Bee laughed, glancing Sam's way. "And your name makes you sound like you invented erasers." He plopped the hot pizzas in Sam's lap, making him cry out a little. Something about the sound was bit of a turn on, but Bee tried not to think about it as he got his change from the pretty lady leaning out the window.


End file.
